Hand held floatboards are utilized extensively as a means for teaching children how to swim. In this regard, such floatboards provide a safe and fun way to keep a swimmer afloat while he or she practices a swimming motion.
To enhance the fun and enjoyment of using such floatboards, such floatboards may be formed to have the appearance of an animal or some other type of creature, and may further be provided with manually operable articulating members formed to look like the jaws or claws of an animal. By providing such articulating members, the user is thus provided a surface for gripping the floatboard, as well as for moving or operating the jaw or claw formed on the floatboard.
While providing floatboards with such articulating members has several practical advantages and adds fun to the use of the device, the prior art is deficient in providing a floatboard having an articulated member formed thereon that can withstand the rigors of aggressive play and handling. In this respect, such articulating members are typically formed on the floatboard such that the same may be pulled or otherwise deformed beyond their intended range of motion, thus causing the member to partially or completely tear off from the floatboard. As a result, the floatboard becomes permanently damaged and significantly less fun for the swimmer to use.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved floatboard having at least one manually operable articulating member formed thereon wherein the latter is substantially prevented from being pulled or deformed beyond its intended range of motion when in use. There is additionally a need in the art for such a floatboard where the articulating member is designed to be easily grasped and manipulated. There is still further a need in the art for a floatboard having an articulating member formed thereon that is of simple construction, easy to manufacture, and likewise may be fabricated in the form of a jaw, claw or similar type moving structure to provide fun for the user.